KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah directed Works and Services Department on Wednesday to complete the three under-construction overhead bridges on railway crossings in Tando Adam, Kotri and Jacobabad by June 2018, reasoning that the incomplete work had caused serious hardships for the local people.
He made the statement while presiding over a meeting to review the progress of the incomplete schemes and projects started under repair and maintenance (M&R) head at the CM House.
The meeting was attended by Planning and Development (P&D) Chairman Mohammad Waseem, Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, Secretary of Works Aijaz Memon, chief engineers and other relevant officers.
The chief minister said that during his visit to Tando Adam in last January, he had overviewed the overhead bridge, including the approaching roads to the railway crossing and noted that the works department, leaving the railway portion, had almost completed the scheme. Memon briefed the CM that the railway authorities were not issuing the NOC for construction of the portion on the railway crossing. The chief minister expressed his displeasure and directed works secretary to personally talk to railway authorities and get the NOC. “In case of any issue, I would personally talk to authorities,” he said and directed him to complete the complete by June 2018.
Discussing the overhead bridge on the railway line between Kotri city and the industrial area, the chief minister said that he had visited the bridge in the first week of February. The works secretary said that a Sindh High Court bench in Hyderabad had issued a stay order in September 2017. On this, the chief minister directed him to pursue the case in the court and get the stay order vacated to start the work. He also advised him to see if the railway authority had issued the NOC so that the matter could also be addressed accordingly.
Shah also said that the work on Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Flyover on Jal Phatak (railway crossing) in Jacobabad was also incomplete. Again the secretary said that some private parties had filed claims in the high court. The chief minister said that the high court had not issued a stay order. The chief minister directed P&D chairman to conduct an inquiry into the unnecessary delay for the completion of the work through Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT) and report him.
“I want you to personally visit the scheme and get it completed by June 2018,” he directed Chairman P&D and said, “The government has utilized millions of rupees on these schemes and they would be of no use until they are completed.”
He went on to say that he would launch these three schemes in June, therefore, all the relevant bottlenecks must be removed accordingly.
CM Shah, reviewing the Repair and Maintenance (M&R) works, said that during 2017-18, he had allocated Rs 5.32 billion for repair and maintenance of different roads and so far Rs5 billion had been released. “The funds were allocated district-wise so that old roads could be improved for smooth flow of vehicular traffic,” he added
The chief minister was informed that under M&R, work on four Tando Mohammad Khan roads had commenced.
